Popular Ocean Grove senior netball playing coach Elyse Howard has confirmed she will extend her tenure at the Grubbers into 2019.
Next year will be Howard’s third season in charge after taking the netball coaching reins in 2017.
It has been an eventful start to the off-season for the 28-year-old.
Howard suffered a broken right leg after a training mishap in late August with the Grubbers’ C, D and E netball grades which went deep into BFNL 2018 finals.
The Waurn Ponds-based resident whose right leg is in a moon boot and cannot drive a car, is unlikely to take any major part in pre-season training prior to Christmas.
Elyse Howard (EH) spoke with Voice sports reporter Mark Heenan (MH) about her decision to stay on as coach, her major injury setback, pre-season plans and her discussions with new Ocean Grove senior football playing coach Jordan Jones.
1. (MH) How pleased are you to re-commit as Ocean Grove Netball Club senior coach for 2019?
(EH) I am excited to lead the group into 2019. I am very passionate about achieving success at OGFNC and I hope that I can be at the helm to see the dream become reality. This will be my final year as head coach so I would love to finish on a high. I think three years is sufficient time to implement and see change without over doing it.
2. (MH) What made you decide you wanted to continue in the role?
(EH) I was going to stand down due to a few reasons. I was concerned I couldn’t fulfill the obligations required of the head coach during this recruitment and planning phase as I am unable to drive due to my broken leg. I always prioritise OGFNC over myself where as I may need to change that focus in the short term. Further, I was continually unwell during the year due to my workload as an accountant and coach and I think the stress took its toll on my health and I wanted to combat that. I sought feedback from the group to determine whether they wanted me to continue and the feedback was very positive and that was very flattering I didn’t want to let the club or any of my girls down – they mean the world to me.
3. (MH) You’ve been in the injury wars where you broke your leg during a netball training session. Describe how it happened and the pain you felt?
(EH) We were out of finals and C, D & E grades asked me to arrange some girls to play practice matches against them on the Thursday night. I drove into the pocket to receive a pass and I slipped awkwardly on the dew. I was in a fair amount of pain but due to the location of the soreness I assumed it was just a rolled ankle. I drove to work the next morning but I then realised it was really bad so I arranged to see someone. I got my MRI and X-ray completed which confirmed I had a 10cm spiral break of my right fibula and I severed my tendons which caused a syndesmosis injury (destabilisation of my ankle). I sought a second opinion at the Epworth and underwent surgery on the following Tuesday. I now have a 10cm plate in my fibula with five screws as well as another contraception that goes through my tibia and fibula to restabilise my ankle.
4. (MH) How is your injury recovery going and how has it affected you?
(EH) My injury time line at the moment is 7 weeks non-weight and my foot is up 90 per cent of the day. I was in plaster until two weeks post-surgery and now I am non-weight-bearing in a moon boot for four more weeks. I have been told to expect another 3-6 weeks in a moon boot once I am weight bearing to allow the tendons to repair. I am unable to drive whilst non-weight bearing, as it is my right foot so that has been extremely frustrating as I have no independence.
5. (MH) What types of pre-season training will you will be able to participate in prior to Christmas? When does the club commence its netball pre-season?
(EH) I haven’t set a timeline yet for pre-season however my plan is to do an activity with the footballers as a season opener. I plan on giving the girls a training schedule to complete for a couple of weeks so when pre-season commences, they should have some amount of fitness under their belt. I won’t be participating much before Christmas as I will just be just out of the moon boot.
6. (MH) What discussions have you had with new Ocean Grove Football Club senior playing coach Jordan Jones?
(EH) I contacted Jordy upon his appointment and we are going to catch up soon to discuss our ideas and put an action plan in place. I am really excited to work with him as we share similar visions about the club in relation to focussing on the community, club culture and the long-term success of the club.
